Wicked Weed is definitely growing like a weed. Their craft brewery and restaurant opened in December 2012 in downtown Asheville (at 91 Biltmore Avenue, next to the Orange Peel) and has become of the most popular tourist attractions in town! They create 130 different styles of beer a year. Every day, they have a rotating 29 big flavored brews on tap, including hop forward, West Coast style ales and open fermented Belgians. Their downtown hotspot has a restaurant with great outdoor dining (that's dog friendly) upstairs and a Tasting Room with dining downstairs. In late 2014, they opened the nearby Funkatorium in the South Slope Brewery District to focus on their rapidly growing line of barrel aged wild and sour beers (see below for more).
Their talented chef's menu is a notch above your typical pub food, utilizing many local ingredients in innovative fashions. The most requested recipe from locals is their candied Brussels sprouts. Other favorites on the menu in the upstairs restaurant include the Carolina bison burger with haystack shallots and blue cheese coleslaw; fried chicken sandwich with house kimchi and miso mayo; and pork chop with butternut hash. They are open for lunch and dinner every day. Expect a wait most evenings. Sunday afternoons are their slowest time, so a great time to unwind with your creation from their bloody mary bar.
The downstairs Tasting Room taproom has a view of the brewery action and opens at 3 PM on Monday-Thursday and 12 Noon on Friday-Sunday with a smaller menu. On Sunday-Thursday until 7 PM, ask for their tasting flight that includes six four-ounce pours. They also have a dog-friendly outdoor patio.
Wicked Weed Brewing was awarded a gold medal for both 100% Brettanomyces Serenity and Mompara Honey Ale at the Great American Beer Festival. In addition to these beers, Wicked Weed is known for producing Freak of Nature Double IPA, Coolcumber Ale, Tyrant Double Red Ale, Hopburgular Blood Orange IPA and Oblivion Sour Red.
Thirsty for more? See: Asheville Beer Guide | Foodie Favorites
Funkatorium
With the opening of the Funkatorium (147 Coxe Avenue) in late 2014, Wicked Weed became the largest producer of barrel aged beers in the Southeastern United States. It houses 1,000 wooden casks of their barrel-aged beers. Visit the Belgium-inspired taproom (opens 4 PM on Monday-Friday and 1 PM on Saturday and Sunday) to sample some of their unique sour and wild beers (16 on tap). The bar is made of reclaimed poplar and the tables were created by a local artisan from reclaimed heart pine that was retrieved from Old Crow Distillery in Kentucky.
If you prefer wine over beer, be sure to try these! Similar to wine, the sour and wild beers are aged up to 24 months in barrels and are more acidic and fruity. We love their flagship Black Angel Angel Cherry, brewed over a pound of sweet and tart cherries per barrel, then aged in bourbon barrels. The Funkatorium is located in the South Slope Brewery District.
